This invention generally relates to vehicle construction. Specifically, the invention relates to the construction of a vehicle providing desirable maneuverability, survivability, and fightability characteristics for military and government-type missions. These desirable features are achieved through (1) the design of a small, reduced-crew-size, survivability capsule with a unique seating plan and (2) the unique positioning of this capsule relative to other major vehicle components. This results in the ability to successfully carry required equipment and cargo without the vehicle weight increase that typically accompanies carrying these items under-armor.
With the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the role of military vehicles is more critical than ever. In practice, many of the vehicles presently deployed by the US military are not well-suited dimensionally to the rough terrain present in these environments. Common disadvantages of present military vehicles include their wide width relative to the width of secondary roads and other byways, large turning radii relative to the roads and paths which negotiate the rough mountainous terrain, slow speed compared to other over-the-road military vehicles and potentially high casualty rates when a single vehicle is targeted with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) or other enemy weapon.
Past efforts have related to construction of vehicles with unique engine locations, monocoque V-hulls for blast survivability, and spaced armor on both sides of the vehicle for Explosively Formed Projectile (EFP) survivability. The resulting vehicles have included the MRAP All Terrain Vehicle (MATV), the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) class of vehicles, the Armored Security Vehicle (ASV), the Highly Survivable Urban Utility Vehicle (HSUUV), and other vehicles. No previous efforts have sought to provide the desired maneuverability, survivability, and fightability by providing a narrow, offset cab, offset underbody V-plates, and a reduced crew capacity, together with the overall envelope of a conventional vehicle incorporating equipment and other storage, as well as options for overhead systems including weapons and optics.
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the invention are:
(A) to provide a light vehicle construction (weighing 25,000 lbs or less) that reduces the underbody mine and improvised explosive device (IED) areas of the crew compartments thus providing greater crew survivability;
(B) to provide a light vehicle construction that allows for protection against heavy armor threat categories such as Explosively Formed Projectiles (EFPs), Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), hand grenades, armor piercing bullets and other threats typically related to larger vehicle classes;
(C) to provide a light vehicle construction optimized to provide desirable optics and weapon mount capability producing desirable overall observation and fightability characteristics;
(D) to provide a vehicle in which the occupants are arranged to minimize the capsules width (96 inches or less) by using sideways seating, or in-line seating;
(E) to provide a vehicle constructed around a slender survivability capsule housing two or three occupants, and resulting in a narrow vehicle width, enabling maneuverability on secondary roads not wide enough to permit traverse in wide vehicles such as HMMWVs, MATVs, and MRAP;
(F) to provide a vehicle utilizing a narrow survivability capsule that provides desirable survivability characteristics against underbody threats including IEDs.
(G) to provide a vehicle constructed around a narrow survivability capsule that is located off-center relative to the vehicle permitting the use of narrow underbody V-plate capable of deflecting blast, and positioned adjacent to major vehicle underbody components including driveline and transmission components;
(H) to provide a vehicle constructed around a narrow survivability capsule that incorporates the ability to hold and transport a large volume of equipment on the side of the vehicle adjacent to the survivability capsule, thereby balancing the vehicle's weight, and providing a location for a widely spaced armor package protecting one side of the survivability capsule from threats such as EFPs, RPGs, and RKG-3s;
(I) to provide a vehicle with a center of gravity more favorably loading wheels on the side with the survivability capsule, thereby reducing the occurrence of road bed failure under the outside wheels which can lead to vehicle rollover and potential loss of life; and
(J) to provide a vehicle constructed around a narrow survivability capsule and incorporating top mounted weapons and surveillance systems that can be operated by occupants of the survivability capsule.
In accordance with the present invention the Reduced Size, Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Crew Compartment Vehicle Construction is a new, unique concept in vehicle design and construction and enables a number of desirable characteristics to be realizable on a single chassis.